Thread: Ночь на Купала / Midsummer's Eve

Tomorrow is Midsummer's Eve! (Summer Solstice)
This is celebrated in Scandinavia (big, big holiday) and in the Baltic states and Belarus too.

What about in Russia?

Here is a Belarussian Midsummer performance, clearly a fire is part of their celebrations. I like it!



In Sweden our traditions includes making a really tall maypoles dressed in leaves and flowers, dancing, having dinner with family and friends, and for many - getting spectacularly drunk in the evening.

There is a controversy about this event. Some consider Купало day as pagan event (June 20-21, Summer Solstice) and some as Иван Купала day as a Christian church event (July 7 for Orthodox Church, June 24 for all others)
Apparently you mean the pagan event. It is banned by Orthodox church, not a big event in Russia, IMHO
It is very interesting that it is big-big holiday in Scandinavia Any hops over fire, Hanna?

Originally Posted by Doomer

There is a controversy about this event. Some consider Купало day as pagan event (June 20-21, Summer Solstice) and some as Иван Купала day as a Christian church event (July 7 for Orthodox Church, June 24 for all others)

Apparently you mean the pagan event. It is banned by Orthodox church, not a big event in Russia, IMHO

It IS a pagan event and everyone knows it... So the Orthodox church has a valid point if they have banned it.

In Sweden, the church tries to pretend that it is the Christian holiday of John the Baptist, but all the traditions for the holiday are pre-Christian. But the church here has so many more serious problems of credibility, that this is the least of their problems...

It seems that the Orthodox church in Belarus doesn't mind this holiday though!

Originally Posted by Doomer

It is very interesting that it is big-big holiday in Scandinavia Any hops over fire, Hanna?

No, the tradition is to dance around the maypole! Then have a nice meal with family / friends. Plus this is one of the top party nights of the year - it doesn't get dark and it's reasonably warm...

Unfortunately I am ILL and actually don't know if I can do anything at all this year. Some relatives of mine are having a party at at their cottage (dacha) though - but it will take 2 hours to get there, and I feel miserable.

This is the biggest holiday of the year, after Christmas. There are thousands of poles like this all around the country, and people go there with their children, before having a big meal together at home.

Slavic tradition includes jumping over the bonfire, putting wreaths on the water surface to flow with the stream and searching for the fern flower (!) in the woods. Young couples in love usually participate in these activities. That's why this holiday has connotations of intimacy and eroticism.

It looks like:





No photos of young lovers in the night woods searching for the fern flower, though